The 5th Wave
Genre: Science-fiction
Certification: 12
Duration: 112 minutes
Directed by: J. Blakeson
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Zuk, Maika Monroe, Liev Schreiber, Nick Robinson, Maria Bello, Maggie Siff
KRS Releasing Ltd
After The Hunger Games and the Twilight series, comes another sci-fi film set in a dystopian world and based on a young adult sci-fi novel. The 5th Wave is based on the first highly-successful instalement in a trilogy published in 2013 by Rick Yancey.
The story revolves around 16-year-old Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz of Kick-Ass fame) whose life is shattered by waves of alien attacks.
The first wave is an electromagnetic pulse that darkens the planet; the second wave consists of massive tsunamis and thunderous earthquakes; the third wave decimates most of the survivors, including Cassie’s mother, via a deadly virus, while the fourth wave reveals that selected humans are actually aliens. Against this backdrop of fear and devastation, Cassie embarks on a perilous journey to save her younger brother, Sam, who is captured by the aliens and taken to a training camp. She comes across various characters along the way, including a tough-as-nails Goth teen warrior named Ringer (Maika Monroe), the composite Sgt Reznik (Maria Bello) and a clutch of frightening young soldiers whose mission is not what it seems.
Cassie also ends up wounded by gunshot, a young man rescues her and she inevitably falls in love with him. But this does not detract her from her mission to rescue her brother.
Fans of the novel have complained that the screenplay left the best parts of the novel out while critics were left unimpressed by the special effects and the disjointed and clichéd plot.
Olly Richards of Empire Magazine wrote: “Everything that comes after the confident, dangerous first half-hour just makes you pine for what could have been as this devolves into ten-a-penny teen-lit sludge.”
Stephanie Zacharek of Time magazine remarked: “The 5th Wave can barely distinguish itself from other recent teen-dystopia dramas.”
Despite the above comments, the Sony Pictures film, made on a $38 million budget, grossed a healthy $83 million worldwide by February 7.
This will allow the producers, one of whom is actor Tobey Maguire (renowned for his Spider-Man role), to move forward with the production of the two other books in Yancey’s trilogy: The Infinite Sea (2014) and The Last Star, to be released this year.
Ratings
IMDB: 5.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 17%
Empire Magazine: 2 stars
Maria Pia Meli and Aldo Zammit in 20,000 Reasons.20,000 Reasons
Genre: Romantic comedy
Certification: 12A
Duration: 80 minutes
Directed by: Jameson Cucciardi
Starring: Maria Pia Meli, Aldo Zammit, Stefan Busuttil, Taryn Mamo Cefai, Marylou Coppini, Nanette Brimmer, Chris Dingli, Naomi Said
KRS Releasing Ltd
The Maltese feature film 20,000 Reasons was produced as part of a training programme run by Film London on the initiative of the Malta Film Commission. Twenty Maltese film-makers participated in a week-long programme and then pitched projects to an expert panel. The romantic comedy was selected and awarded a production budget of €200,000.
The film, which features a cast of well-known local actors, pokes fun at the north-south divide in Maltese society as it presents the audience with two families from opposite sides of the country.
The plot focuses on Sophie (Maria Pia Meli), a hard-working perfectionist who is obsessed with getting her company off the ground. She has a strained relationship with her younger sister Juliana (Taryn Mamo Cefai), and an even more difficult one with her grandmother who is obsessed with seeing her only grandchildren married so as to protect the family’s wealth.
When Sophie breaks it off with her cheating boyfriend, she is abruptly faced with her grandmother’s cunning plan to pass her substantial inheritance on to her sister, unless she marries before her 30th birthday, which is in three months’ time. In a desperate attempt to foil this plan, Sophie goes for a young man who works with her family.
The film, directed by Jameson Cucciardi, has a screenplay by Malcolm Galea, while Malcolm Debono is director of photography.
This project has been made possible through funds awarded to ESF2.186 ‘Reskilling of Workers for the Local Film Industry’ as part of the European Social Fund Cohesion Policy Operational Programme II 2007-2013, which aims to improve employment opportunities in the EU and aid to develop a skilled workforce.
The beloved Chipmunks are in for a ride of a lifetime in the latest instalment of the franchise.Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Genre: Animation
Certification: U
Duration: 87 minutes
Directed by: Walt Becker
Starring: Jason Lee, Jesica Ahlberg, Josh Green, Bella Thorne, Kimberley Williams-Paisley
Voices of: Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney
KRS Releasing Ltd
The fourth sequel in the popular Alvin and the Chipmunks series revolves around a series of misunderstandings between the three little squeaking heroes and their guardian.
Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave (Jason Lee) is going to propose to his new girlfriend Samantha (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in Miami… and dump them. They have three days to stop the proposal and thus embark on a cross-country trip to save themselves not only from losing their best pal but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother.
Critics were left largely unimpressed by this latest instalment of the franchise, but children will most probably still love the CG characters and their antics.
Andrew Barker of Variety described the film as “a mostly harmless yet plenty rough assemblage of musical numbers and rote chases that barely add up to a movie.”
Katherine Pushkar of the New York Daily News was more complacent, saying: “Kids will love the Chipmunk road caper, parents won’t hate it, either.”
Ratings
IMDB: 4.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Empire Magazine: 2 stars